Climate Adaptation and the Digital Divide in Rural Nepal

This paper, Climate Adaptation and the Digital Divide in Rural Nepal, was prepared as part of the course Society, Culture, and Climate Change (AN 588) at Tribhuvan University, Central Department of Anthropology, in August 2025. It examines how climate change adaptation intersects with the digital divide in Nepal’s rural and mountainous regions, drawing on ethnographic insights from field visits to Karnali Province. The paper highlights how limited access to telecommunications, internet connectivity, and digital literacy constrains climate resilience in vulnerable communities. Using an anthropological lens, it integrates perspectives from climate change anthropology, digital anthropology, and political ecology to emphasize the cultural and infrastructural dimensions of adaptation. It argues that digital inclusion should be recognized as a central component of climate adaptation strategies, alongside environmental and socio-technological measures.